Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) have set a new country record in the two-wheeler industry.

The country’s second largest two-wheeler maker by sales, whose iconic model Honda Activa accelerated scooterisation in India and was the top two-wheeler in the country for several months in a row, is now the only model to cross 20-lakh unit sales in just seven months between April and October this year in the fiercely competitive Indian two-wheeler industry.

With this feat, the popular model contributed about 17 per cent to the domestic two-wheeler sales, which stood at 1,22,58,274 units. Activa competes with TVS Motor’s 110cc Jupiter, Hero Maestro, Suzuki Access, Yamaha Fascino, Hero Duet, Yamaha Ray, Honda Dio, Hero Pleasure and TVS Pep+ in the descending order of ranking in October, according to latest data by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers or Siam, the apex trade lobby.

While Activa sold a whopping 2.5 lakh plus units last month, its rival brands trailed far behind with its closest rival Jupitar selling 81,326 units and Pep+ 11,288 units. “Today, a new family is buying their favorite Activa every ninth second,” the company said in a statement.
The Activa 4G variant, priced at Rs 52,238 at the Pune showroom, contributes with bulk sales every month to overall Honda Activa sales.

The domestic scooter market now constitutes about 34 per cent of the total two-wheeler market in India, due to the growing popularity of the Honda Activa brand in the country.

While it took seven years since its launch (2001 to 2008) for Activa to touch the 20-lakh mark, the latest figures, which the company put down to 20,40,134 units, were sold in merely seven months from April to October 2017.

“Activa has touched the hearts of Indian families like no other two-wheeler brand till date,” Yadvinder Singh Guleria, senior vice president – sales and marketing at Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, said.

In just half a decade, the two-wheeler industry has seen sales grow by a phenomenal 52 per cent in the country, he pointed out.

“In comparison with sales growing 180 per cent, Activa has become India’s highest selling two-wheeler and has broken all past records of popularity of any brand in the history of Indian two-wheeler industry,” Guleria said.

With massive scooterising, the likes of which have never been witnessed before in the country, Activa sales have nearly tripled in this period from 7.30 lakh units in 2012-13 to over 20 lakh units in 2017-18.

“Now led by Activa model, India is getting scooterised like never before,” Guleria said, adding that its unprecedented popularity as the most preferred two-wheeler brand is due to its continued evolution ahead of times in terms of advanced features, unisex styling, mileage and convenience.

Reactivating the scooter segment, Honda launched its revolutionary 102 cc automatic scooter Activa in 2001. Sales touched 55,000 units in its debut year itself and in the next three years, Activa sales zoomed to become the leader in the scooter segment in the country.

By December 2005, Activa’s cumulative sales touched the 10-lakh-unit mark.

Over the years, Activa has reinvented several times. “With this continuous evolution, Activa has changed the way India rides,” Guleria said.

By June 2012, Activa had breached the 50-lakh cumulative sale milestone. In the next 3 years, it shattered the glass ceiling to become the first scooter in the country to sell over 1 crore units, the company said.

A year later in 2016, Honda’s iconic Activa dethroned the 17-year legacy of motorcycles to become India’s and world’s number one selling two-wheeler brand for the first time.